Inhalt

Based on provisional data, the price adjusted stock of orders in manufacturing in September 2018 rose a seasonally and calendar adjusted 0.8% on the previous month, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The domestic orders not yet completed increased 1.0% on the previous month, the stock of foreign orders rose 0.7%. The stock of orders comprises the total of new orders received by the end of the reference month which have not led to any turnover and have not been cancelled by that time.

In 2017, the average age of persons in employment in Germany was 44, which is roughly 4 years more than two decades ago. The average age of working men and women was almost the same in 2017. Based on recent microcensus results, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that there were considerable differences between self-employed and employees, and between individual professions.

IN FOCUS / 0201-09-20

Federal Constitutional Court declares 2011 Census constitutional

On 19 September 2018 the Federal Constitutional Court delivered its judgment on the constitutionality of the 2011 Census Act and the related Sample Ordinance. The Court ruled that the Act is constitutional. The statistical offices of the Federation and the Länder will analyse the judgment thoroughly and continue with the preparatory work for the 2021 Census.

The 2011 Census was held in Germany to determine the official size of the population and obtain further detailed population, employment and housing stock data. The official size of the population in Germany provided by the 2011 Census is of great importance for the political sphere, administration and the business community. It serves as a basis for continuous population statistics, fiscal equalisation schemes among the Länder and among municipalities, and the delimitation of constituency boundaries, to mention but a few.

Brexit Monitor: Interactive charts on the UK and its pending exit from the European Union

In March 2017, following the Brexit referendum, the British Government formally initiated the process which will ultimately lead to the country's departure from the European Union. It is currently difficult to predict the precise consequences, but the Brexit decision and the departure from the EU is expected to impact on the economy, foreign trade, the labour market and migration. Our Brexit Monitor looks at the development in the United Kingdom using selected socio-economic indicators. Since the country is linked in a number of ways with the other EU states, the interactive charts also present the development in Germany and in the EU as a whole.

Current WISTA edition: Impact of minimum wage on the structure of earnings

The introduction of the minimum wage in 2015 has had a sustainable effect on the German labour market. Have the introduction and the first increase in the minimum wage also impacted on the structure of earnings?

This is what Kathrin Kann examines in her article on Impact of minimum wage on the structure of earnings in the 5/2018 issue of our WISTA scientific journal. She uses the results of the structure of earnings survey of 2014 and of voluntary earnings surveys taken in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The results show that the minimum wage has had an impact especially at the bottom end of the distribution of earnings. The first effect was a shift of lower-paid jobs towards the minimum wage of 8.50 euros (gross) per hour worked. After the first minimum wage increase in January 2017, to 8.84 euros, hourly earnings continued to move towards higher hourly pay.